Criminal and Juvenile Justice

Public Policy Associates has provided research, evaluation, and strategic consultation services to help clients shape policies to reduce crime and corrections costs, help parolees return successfully to society, and improve outcomes for youth entering the juvenile justice system.

Partnering with government agencies, foundations and non-profits, our project managers and researchers helped plan, implement and evaluate the State of Michigan’s nationally recognized prisoner re-entry program.

The work is led by Robb Burroughs. Mr. Burroughs previously worked for the Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency and played an important role in development and implementation of the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Inititiave. PPA President Dr. Paul Elam, a recognized leader in criminal justice and juvenile justice issues, including efforts to address Disproportionate Minority Contact within the justice system. The PPA team is on the cutting edge in tackling juvenile crime issues to offer opportunities and hope for at-risk youth, and monitoring detention facilities to ensure they are in compliance with state and federal law.

Across the country, minority children are overrepresented in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. This puts these children at greater risk of dropping out of high school and being unemployed, homeless, or incarcerated as adults. In Michigan the state has established disproportionate minority contact reduction efforts to address this problem and approve the lives … Continued

The federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) is designed to help state and local governments prevent and control juvenile delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system. In doing so, the JJDPA establishes core requirements to protect juveniles, who come in contact with the justice system, from inappropriate placements and potentially harmful exposure to … Continued

PPA provided strategic consultation in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative (MPRI), a statewide approach to enhancing public safety and preserving taxpayer dollars by helping prisoners succeed when they are released on parole. Michigan is the first state to create a comprehensive evidence-based reentry model based on best practices and … Continued

The Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice allocates federal funding for delinquency prevention and rehabilitation programs to protect the rights of juveniles in the justice system. PPA is working with the committee to help keep the State in compliance with federal requirements, provide data and oversight, and communicate the committee’s work to the public. Development: The PPA … Continued

The State Court Administrative Office – Child Welfare Services received a grant from Casey Family Programs to develop a statewide race equity coalition to improve the lives of Michigan children and families by eliminating racial and ethnic disproportionality in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The Michigan Coalition for Race Equity in Child Welfare … Continued

The federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) is designed to help state and local governments prevent and control juvenile delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system. In doing so, the JJDPA establishes core requirements to protect juveniles, who come in contact with the justice system, from inappropriate placements and potentially harmful exposure to … Continued

Across the country, minority children are overrepresented in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. This puts these children at greater risk of dropping out of high school and being unemployed, homeless, or incarcerated as adults. In Michigan, the state has established a demonstration project in Saginaw County to address the problem and improve the … Continued

Saginaw County serves as a pilot project site for the Michigan Coalition on Race Equity in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare. The project seeks to reduce disproportionate minority contact, which is the over-representation and disparate treatment of children and youth of color in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Public Policy Associates, Inc. (PPA) … Continued

The State Court Administrative Office – Child Welfare Services received a grant from Casey Family Programs to develop a statewide race equity coalition to improve the lives of Michigan children and families by eliminating racial and ethnic disproportionality in the child welfare and juvenile justice system. The Michigan Coalition for Race Equity in Child Welfare … Continued